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Reporter spars with State Department spox over Gaza violence

The crisis in the Gaza strip has heightened tensions between journalists and State Department officials in the briefing room.

During a press conference on Monday, Associated Press reporter Matthew Lee ripped into State Department Press Secretary Victoria Nuland, hitting her with rapid-fire questions about the administration’s approach to the recent violence between Israel and Hamas.

The two-minute exchange reached its peak as Lee questioned Nuland about the administration’s non-response to Turkey calling Israel a “terrorist state.”

Nuland said she didn’t want to get into a “public spitting match” with allies.

To which Lee responded: “And you think that's worse? A public spitting match is worse than hundreds of people dying every day?”

Dismissing the question, Nuland replied: “You’re just looking for a fight.”

A lifelong foreign service agent, Nuland has achieved modest Internet fame for … her eyebrows. Apparently, she famously raises her eyebrows when she speaks—there’s a Facebook page dedicated to it.